Patent Application
20140311071
The present invention relates generally to a masonry wall wire reinforcement apparatus and system for anchoring a veneer wall to a backup wall of Concrete Masonry Units and, more specifically, the present invention relates generally to a system and apparatus for connecting a veneer wall to a backup wall using wire ladder or truss type reinforcement along with a clip that can be attached to the wire reinforcement and can be configured to receive the pintle tie, which then is embedded in the veneer wall. Further, an optional thermal attachment is available to be placed between the pintle tie and the clip to reduce thermal transfer.
In many cases, construction of a wall of a building includes a backup wall made up of numerous cinder or concrete blocks, otherwise known as, Concrete Masonry Units (CMU) placed next to each other in rows, with multiple rows placed on top of each other. These CMU are connected to each other using mortar. A veneer wall is then built in front of the backup wall with a space or cavity between the two walls. The veneer wall may be, for example, made up of bricks.
In order to increase the strength of the walls, wire joint reinforcement is inserted between the rows of CMU during the mortar process, such that the wire joint reinforcement is placed in the mortar joint between the CMU. According to code, wire reinforcement may be placed on top of every row, or every other row. Depending on the configuration the wire reinforcement can be installed in the backup and the pintle ties slipped into the clip and built into the veneer so the two walls can be built together. By connecting the two walls, the wire reinforcement can establish a positive lateral load connection between the veneer wall and the backup wall.
Further, the space between the backup wall and the veneer wall may have insulation, often a rigid wall insulation, between the two walls. The system for attaching the backup wall to the veneer wall must take this insulation into account, including the possibility that the insulation will require an opening to allow the wire reinforcement to pass through from the backup wall to the veneer wall.
One of the disadvantages of this construction process is that when the veneer wall is built, the rows and joints of the two different walls are not necessarily aligned in the vertical direction. As such, the wire joint reinforcement in the backup wall must be adjusted or adjustable to allow for the vertical difference in the joints or rows of the veneer wall. One way to overcome this problem, is to use a “pintle and eye” system in which the wire reinforcement consists of wire eyes that extend out past the CMU and past the insulation, such that a pintle tie can be placed into the eye of the wire reinforcement and adjusted vertically to “meet” the height of the veneer wall. In addition, current masonry codes require cavity walls with a CMU backup and brick veneer to have two-piece adjustable anchors that allow vertical deflection between the two parts. This type of wire reinforcement can be utilized with either a ladder or truss type wire reinforcement system.
However, there are a number of different size wire reinforcement for the different CMU thicknesses and different sized wire gauges. Further, there are different materials or coatings that can be used for each of the different sizes, and there is a necessity to provide various eye lengths to compensate for the different thickness of insulation. With the varying size wires and thicknesses, there will be many different sized products that can be generated for different projects, making it extremely difficult and unnecessarily expensive to budget for inventory purposes.
Another concern with the pintle and eye products on the market today is that the veneer wall, which may be subjected to outdoor elements such as heat or cold, will transmit the heat or cold through the metal pintle and eye product to the backup wall, which will then be more easily transmitted to the inside of the structure. There is no thermal break to minimize this unwanted thermal flow from the outside of the structure to the inside.
Yet another shortcoming of the current pintle and eye products for masonry wall wire reinforcement occurs when the product is shipped. With the current configuration, i.e., the ladder or truss type with the eye portion extending outward, the eye portion may become damaged during shipping. Avoiding damage to the eye portion forces extra amount of care or better packaging when shipping the product.
Thus, there is a long felt need in the field of masonry wall wire reinforcement for a more cost-effective reinforcement system that can reduce the need for many of the parts in one's inventory and also serve as a thermal break to reduce the thermal transfer or flow of energy from the outside to the inside of a structure. There is also a need to reduce cost and limit damage exposure of the product during shipping. The present invention overcomes these and other disadvantages relating to masonry wall reinforcement systems.
The present invention discloses a new and improved masonry wall wire reinforcement system, which is intended to establish a positive lateral load connection between the outer veneer wall and the inner backup, masonry or supportive wall. The present invention generally includes a masonry wall wire reinforcement apparatus or product, a clip or in some cases multiple clips, and a pintle or wire tie.
The present invention discloses a clip configured to be attached to the masonry wall wire reinforcement product for allowing the insertion of the pintle tie that will be attached to the veneer wall. The present invention may also utilize a separate thermal attachment to be attached or placed on the clip to act as a thermal break and reduce the transfer of energy, in the form of hot or cold temperatures, from travelling from the outside of the veneer wall to the inside of the masonry wall.
The present invention allows for a reduction in parts in inventory, while still allowing the ability to generate the same number of different types and size masonry wall wire reinforcement products for different job requirements. By attaching the correct sized clip (and/or thermal attachment) to the wire reinforcement product, usually at the job site, many different sized masonry wall wire reinforcement products can be produced from fewer components.
In accordance with the present invention, a masonry wall wire reinforcement apparatus and system is provided that includes a clip configured with at least one support, such as a groove, hook, clasp or indent (these may be used interchangeably herein) at one end of the clip to receive and hold the wires of the masonry wall wire reinforcement product, whether that reinforcement product is a ladder or truss type product. The clip contains at least one opening at the opposite end of the grooves that are sized to accept the ends of a pintle tie for connecting the backup wall to the veneer wall. Different clips may be used, depending on the distance requirement between the backup wall and the veneer wall. Further, different opening sizes and shapes can be used depending on the size of the pintle tie required. Either way, the same masonry wall wire reinforcement product can be used, with the correct sized clip to be “clipped” onto the reinforcement product to make the required apparatus.
Accordingly, and in accordance with the present invention, a masonry wall wire reinforcement apparatus and system is provided that includes a clip containing grooves at one end that receive and support the wires of a ladder type or truss type masonry wall wire reinforcement product. The clip contains openings at the other end that accept a pintle tie for connecting the backup wall to the veneer wall, thereby minimizing the number of different masonry wall wire reinforcement products that have to be manufactured and kept in inventory.
In accordance with the present invention, a masonry wall wire reinforcement apparatus and system is provided that includes a clip containing grooves at one end that receive and support the wires of a ladder type or truss type masonry wall wire reinforcement product, with openings at the other end of the clip that accept the pintle tie for connecting the backup wall to the veneer wall. The clip is further configured to accept and support a thermal break attachment which may be attached to the clip and provide pintle tie openings or thermal attachment openings for accepting the pintle tie. This configuration acts to minimize the transfer of thermal energy from the outside of the veneer wall to the inside of the backup wall.
In accordance with the present invention, the masonry wall wire reinforcement apparatus and system containing a clip with grooves and openings for accepting the pintle tie and for connecting the backup wall to the veneer wall provides for a reduction in packaging costs and damage to the product when shipped.
The present invention, a masonry wall wire reinforcement apparatus and system has numerous configurations that are covered by the scope of the present invention and the foregoing and other aspects, features, details, utilities, and advantages of the present teachings will become apparent from reading the following description and claims, and from reviewing the accompanying drawings.
The preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, which illustrate and do not limit the invention, where like designations denote like elements, and in which:
The present disclosure concerns a new and improved masonry wall wire reinforcement apparatus and system. The apparatus and system is intended to establish a positive lateral load connection between an outer veneer wall and an inner backup wall, otherwise known as a supportive wall. The veneer wall may be made up of aesthetic brick, while the inner wall may be made up of Concrete Masonry Units or CMU. The present invention generally includes a masonry wall wire reinforcement product or wire reinforcement, along with a clip, or in some cases multiple clips, and a pintle or wire tie.
In general use and as disclosed in detail herein, the present invention allows for the clip to be attached to the masonry wall wire reinforcement product, which is placed in between the layers of bricks of the backup wall. The clips are configured to extend out from the backup wall and allow for a pintle tie to be inserted into the openings of the clip. The veneer wall can then be built with the opposite end of the pintle tie being located and secured in between the layers of the veneer wall.
As further disclosed herein, the present invention may also utilize a separate thermal attachment to be placed on the clip to act as a thermal break and reduce the transfer of energy from travelling from the outside of the veneer wall (where it is usually subject to environmental conditions) to the inside of the backup wall, which is usually closest to the inside of the structure being built.
To connect the masonry wall 16 to the veneer wall 10, a masonry wire reinforcement product 22 is used along with pintle ties 24. The masonry wire reinforcement product 22 is placed on top of a layer of CMU 18 making up the inner or supportive wall 16 and mortar is placed on the top of the layer, before the next layer of CMU 18 are put in place.
As shown in
As understood by one having ordinary skill in the art, the distance that the eye 26 extends from the inner wall 16 is based on the design of the structure and may also take into account the thickness of the outer insulation layer 20 due to insulation demands. Once the inner wall 16 has been built, the outer insulation layer 20 of insulation can be pressed onto the inner wall 16 so that the eyes 26 of the masonry wire reinforcement product 22 poke through the outer insulation layer 20 and can be accessed from the outside of the outer insulation layer 20.
Next, the pintle ties or wires 24 can be located into the eyes 26 of the masonry wire reinforcement product 22. To do so, the two ends 28 of the pintle tie 24 are placed into the eyes 26 of the masonry wire reinforcement product 22. The pintle tie 24 and eye 26 combination allows for the pintle tie 24 to be positioned vertically as needed.
Next, the outer or veneer wall 10 is built by placing bricks 12 next to and on top of each other while using mortar 14 to hold the bricks 12 together. As the veneer wall 10 approaches a pintle tie 24 that has been placed into the eyes 26 of the masonry wire reinforcement product 22, the pintle tie 24 can be positioned vertically to be placed above one and below another brick 12 as the mortar 14 holds the brick 14 and tie 24 in place. Once the mortar 14 has set, the inner wall 16 will be connected to the veneer wall 10 using the masonry wire reinforcement product 22 and the pintle tie 24.
There are typically five or six different size masonry wire reinforcement products 22 depending on the CMU 18 thickness. The masonry wire reinforcement product 22 is usually about 10 feet long and made up of either 9 gauge or 3/16″ wire. The masonry wire reinforcement product 22 can be either mill galvanized, hot dip galvanized or stainless steel, such that there are between 30 and 36 different size and type masonry wire reinforcement products 22. Further, the welded eye 26 can be produced in many different lengths to compensate for the different thicknesses of the outer insulation layer 20. If there are only three different length eyes 26, the number of different masonry wire reinforcement product 22 that can be ordered will expand to between 90 and 108 different pieces.
In order to minimize the number of different pieces without decreasing the number of piece options, the present invention comprises either three or four basic components; namely, a masonry wire reinforcement product 22 (without the welded or manufactured eyes 24), a pintle tie 24 (for the preferred embodiment, the pintle tie used with a double eye anchor), and a clip 50 that allows the masonry wire reinforcement product 22 to be connected to the pintle tie 24.
In the embodiment shown in
The clip 50 is also configured with two clip openings 54 at the other end of the clip 50 opposite from the grooves 52. These clip openings 54 are used to accept the ends 28 of the pintle ties 24, and allow for the pintle ties 24 to be positioned vertically depending on the height of the bricks 12 of the veneer wall 10. Further, by changing the size of the clip 50 from one end 56 to the other end 58, the effective “location” of the clip openings 54 for the pintle ties 24 can be extended or retracted without the need for generating multiple masonry wire reinforcement products 22; the same masonry wire reinforcement product 22 can be used to generate different opening locations. The clip 50 may also be configured with an opening 60 that would be used to attached and secure a thermal attachment to the clip 50 as described in detail below.
With continued primary reference to
The next step is shown in
The clip 50 may also contain a separate piece of insulation either on the top surface of the clip 50, with a separate piece on the bottom surface of the clip 50 (not shown), as understood by one having ordinary skill in the art. These one or two pieces of insulation can be taped using a specified tape to assist in preventing moisture and air from going through the opening in the insulation and back to the inner wall 16.
As described herein, the structure (after the outer insulation layer 20 has been placed on the inner wall 16) is now ready for the veneer wall 10 to be built and the front 62 of the pintle tie 24 to be placed between the bricks 12 of the veneer wall 10 as it is being built.
As further described herein, a thermal attachment 70 can be used in addition to the masonry wire reinforcement system of the present invention. As such, the system would be comprised of four components; namely, the masonry wire reinforcement product 22, the pintle tie 24, the clip 50 and the thermal attachment 70 that is configured to be attached to the clip 50 and which allows the masonry wire reinforcement product 22 to be connected to the pintle tie 24.
First side 72 of the thermal attachment 70 is configured with at least one tab or peg 76 and the second side 74 may be configured with at least one indent 78. Although an indent may not be necessary to properly contain and secure the clip 50. When the thermal attachment 70 is folded in half over the hinges 75 and the first side 72 makes contact with second side 74, the at least one tab 76 contacts and is secured into the at least one indent 78. During closing, the peg is placed through the opening 60 of the clip 50, thereby securing the thermal attachment 70 to the clip 50.
As the thermal attachment 70 is closed over the clip 50, at least one end tab 80 on either the first side 72 or the second side 74 makes contact with and locks in place with at least one end indent 82, to hold and secure the two sides 72, 74 of the thermal attachment 70 in the folded or closed position. Further, the first side 72 and second side 74 each contain openings 84, 86 such that the corresponding openings line up when the thermal attachment 70 is folded in half or closed over the clip 50.
To use the thermal attachment 70, after the inner wall 16 has been built with the clips 50 extending outward, and after the outer insulation layer 20 has been placed over the clips 50, and before the pintle ties 24 are placed into the clip openings 54 of the clips 50, the thermal attachment 70 may be placed over the opening 60 and onto the clip 50 as described above. This is accomplished by folding the first side 72 of the thermal attachment 70 over to the second side 74 such that the tab 76 is inserted through the opening 60 and makes contact with the indent 78. The end tabs 80 then lock into the end indents 82 thereby locking the thermal attachment 70 onto the clip 50.
As shown in
The thermal attachment 70 can be manufactured from any material that will act as a thermal barrier to reduce the transfer of energy from the outer wall 16 to the inner wall 10. These materials include composite materials, such as plastic or a plastic resin, such as RADEL®, which will act as a thermal break between the inner wall 16 and the veneer outer wall 10. While the clip 50 may also be formed from a metal, such as a zinc alloy, stainless steel, or the like as described above, both the clip 50 and the thermal attachment 70 may also be formed from a combination of those plastics and metals described herein while staying within the scope of the present invention.
Additionally, other configurations of clips and thermal attachments can be used to attain the same results as those described herein. For examples of additional thermal attachments, see U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/602,178 entitled WING NUT ATTACHMENT APPARATUS FOR MASONRY ANCHORS AND METHODS THEREOF, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13,776,048 entitled THERMAL CLIP ATTACHMENT APPARATUS FOR MASONRY ANCHORS AND METHODS THEREOF, both said applications being incorporated by reference herein.
By using multiple grooves 52′ in the clip 50′, the same clip 52′ can be used to obtain different lengths of extension from the end of the inner wall 16 (or the outer insulation layer 20) out to the required location for the clip openings 54 for the pintle ties 24. Simply by using a different pair of grooves 52′ to attach to the struts 32, the clip openings 54 will reach out farther. As such, the number of different sized clips 50 can be reduced using the clip 50′ with multiple grooves 52′.
To the extent a greater distance is required from the inner wall 16 to the openings 84, 86, the clip 50′ can be located such that grooves 52B′ secure and support horizontal strut 32. To the extent an even greater distance is required from the inner wall 16 to the openings 84, 86, the clip 50′ can be located such that grooves 52C′ secure and support horizontal strut 32. Again, using one clip 50′, three different distances can be generated depending on the distance required from the inner wall 16 to the outer wall 10 and due to the insulation needed for the structure.
Further, the clip 50, 50′ described herein may contain additional openings to allow the mortar to better adhere to the clip 50, 50′ and better adhere the clip 50, 50′ to the CMU 18 of the inner wall 16.
As described herein, there are numerous designs that would accomplish the same advantages as the preferred embodiments and the alternative embodiments described in detail herein.
In yet another embodiment shown in
This alternative embodiment includes a clip 50 configured with three clip openings 54 at the end of the clip 50 opposite from the grooves 52, although more or less clip openings 54 can be used. In this embodiment, the clip openings 54 are oval shaped, and as with the other embodiments herein, the clip openings can be circular, oval or any other shape that will accept and support a pintle tie. As described herein, these clip openings 54 are used to accept the pintle ties 24, and allow for the pintle ties 24 to be positioned vertically depending on the height of the bricks 12 of the veneer wall 10.
It will be appreciated that in addition to the structure of the masonry wire reinforcement system and apparatus described herein, another aspect of the present disclosure is a method for installing masonry wire reinforcement products. It will be further appreciated that the methodology and constituent steps thereof performed and carried out by an installer of the masonry wire reinforcement system, and described in great detail above, apply to this aspect of the disclosure with equal force. Therefore, the description of the methodology performed or carried out by an installer using the masonry wire reinforcement system as set forth above will not be repeated in its entirety.
While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific exemplary embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and have herein been described in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit the disclosure to the particular embodiments disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/768,971, filed Feb. 25, 2013.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61768971 | Feb 2013 | US |
